The present invention generally relates to a method and composition for feeding lactating monogastric mammals. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and composition for improving the health, litter weight, and survival of young, monogastric mammals, such as nursing piglets.
The economic viability of a pork producer is directly related to the litters of the producer's sows. In particular, litter weights at weaning and the mortality rate of the litters are important factors. Over the past decade or so, advances in sow feeding techniques have caused litter sizes produced by sows to generally increase while generally decreasing the lactation periods of farrowing sows. Despite these improved litter results, mortality rates for piglet litters have not significantly dropped while overall litter weights at weaning have disappointingly remained stagnant.
Piglet mortality rates are typically highest during the first four days following piglet birth. Despite advances in sow feeding technology, litter mortality rates of piglets, as measured from birth to weaning, have continued to average around 12%, with the top ten pork producers averaging around 10.2% and the bottom ten producers averaging around 15.5%. This is troublesome for pork producers because the economic viability of their business is directly related to the overall number of piglets per litter that survive weaning and thereafter reach market weight.
Data from the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS, 2001; http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cahm/Swine/swine.htm) indicate that about 10.9 piglets are born per sow per litter, on average. However, only about 10.0 piglets of each litter are alive at birth, and only about 8.9 piglets per litter survive at weaning. This translates to a pre-weaning mortality rate among piglet litters to be about 11.0%. Lay et al., 2001 (JAS, 2001). Starvation, low birth weight, sickness, hypothermia, and crushing or suffocation all contribute to this relatively high piglet mortality rate.
A larger litter weight at weaning often corresponds directly to how fast the piglets of the litter will grow to market weight. On the other hand, a smaller litter weight often means the litter has a higher percentage of low weight piglets that are more likely to die prior to weaning, as compared to their heavier brothers and sisters of the litter. For instance, lighter weight piglets are especially susceptible to hypothermia because of they have a larger ratio of surface area to body weight than heavier piglets. To counter this susceptibility to hypothermia, lighter weight piglets tend to lie more closely to the sow to obtain warmth, though such close proximity to the sow increases the chance the lighter weight piglets will be crushed or suffocated by the sow.
Additionally, lighter weight piglets typically have only a minimal amount of reserve energy stored at birth and therefore are at an increased risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) shortly after birth if the lighter weight piglets do not receive adequate nourishment in the first few days following birth. Similarly, lighter weight piglets that are sick, injured, or out-competed at mealtime by heavier piglets of the litter may miss a feeding, become progressively weaker and therefore continue to miss subsequent feedings, and eventually starve to death. Thus it is increasingly important to pork producers to assure that all piglets of the litter, especially those with a relatively low birth weight and most at risk of dying, receive adequate caloric intake starting at birth to maximize piglet survival rates from each litter.
Although various feeding techniques have been proposed and/or practiced over the years and have enhanced the overall knowledge base with respect to swine feeding, these techniques have not adequately addressed the problem of how to most economically, efficiently, and effectively increase both the survival rate of young piglets at weaning and young piglet litter weights at weaning. The present invention provides a composition and method for feeding lactating sows that has been surprisingly found to significantly reduce mortality rates of nursing piglets, while increasing litter and young piglet weights at weaning.